The DVLA Drink Driving Medical

THe High Risk Offender Scheme (HRO)

May of 1983 saw the HRO (high risk offenders) scheme being introduced. High risk offenders are drivers who are convicted of repeated and serious drink driving offences. In June 1990 the high risk offender scheme was extended to cover the following drivers:

• Those drivers who were convicted twice (or more) in a period of ten years
  
  
• Those drivers who were convicted of failing (without reasonable cause) to provide a blood, breath or urine specimen for analysis
  
  
• Those drivers who were convicted of having a proportion of alcohol in the body, two and a half times or more, times the prescribed legal BAC limit in the UK. Equal to or exceeding: 87.5 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath or 200 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood or 267.5 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine

Under the high risk offenders scheme, those drivers who have been convicted of any of the offences above will require satisfactory medical reports from own doctor(s) and may require independent medical examination and blood tests, arranged by DVLA. Satisfactory medical reports will need to be obtained before a drivers license is re-instated under this scheme. The DVLA will notify offenders covered by this scheme and inform them of what they need to do in order to successfully apply for the return of their driving licence. There will be a fee to pay for the return of the driving licence and a separate fee to pay for the necessary medical examination.

The DVLA DRINK DRIVING Medical

The DVLA should contact any driver who is covered by the high risk offender scheme approximately two to three months before their driving disqualification ends to inform them of all necessary steps to be taken and how to arrange the medical examination.

The Medical Examination

The medical examination is designed to assess a drivers overall fitness to drive, with a focus on any past, present or potential future alcohol abuse or misuse problems. Drivers will be required to provide a sample of blood, a urine sample, undergo a brief physical medical examination and the doctor will perform a medical interview which will involve a series of questions, the answers to which will be used to fill out a questionnaire.

Blood Sample Testing

GGT (Gamma GT) - Gamma-glutamyl transferase
An enzyme from the liver that can be found in excess in the blood of heavy drinkers. Chronic drinking of 4 or more drinks per day for 4 to 8 weeks significantly raises levels of the blood protein. If a person stops drinking for 4-5 weeks, then the levels of GGT should decrease to normal levels. The test is seen as having low sensitivity and moderate specificity for alcohol use.

MCV (Mean Cell Volume) - Increased red blood cell size
A good indicator of someone having recently ingested alcohol is the "mean corpuscular volume" of the red blood cells. If the person has recently had alcohol to drink, the cells become large, so the MCV is high, usually 100 or more. This happens as a result of several factors: direct effect on the red blood cell membrane, vitamin deficiencies i.e. folate or direct effect on the bone marrow.

ALT - Alanine aminotransferase & AST - Aspartarte aminotransferase
Used to indicate the degree of inflammation to the liver. The aminotransferases are enzymes that are present in the liver cells (hepatocytes). They leak into the blood stream when the liver cells are damaged.

DVLA Medical Examination Results

If there is evidence of persistent alcohol misuse within the past 6 months or alcohol dependency within the past 12 months or there is evidence of current ongoing alcohol misuse or dependency then your application for a driving licence will be refused.

If any abnormalities are present then all relevant medical documents and test results will be passed onto the necessary qualified DVLA medical advisors for further assessment and review. Further information may then be requested from the high risk offenders GP and/or expert advice from relevant medical experts will be sought. If two or three of the blood test results are significantly higher than the acceptable laboratory reference range used by the DVLA then in the absence of liver disease or any relevant medication the high risk offender may be taking, these abnormalities will be considered to be caused by excessive alcohol intake and misuse and the driving licence application will be refused.

If the driving license application is refused then the high risk offender will be informed of the time period he/she must wait before another application and medical examination can be carried out, with six months being a common time period between applications.

In certain circumstances a temporary one, two or three year driving license may be issued. This usually happens when alcohol dependency or misuse is uncertain and cannot be corroborated and/or where only one blood test result is significantly higher than the acceptable laboratory reference range used by the DVLA. If this is the case then the high risk offender will have to submit to another medical examination after a one, two or three year period.

The responsibility for making the decision about whether or not a person should continue to drive is that of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), with the doctor acting only as a source of information and advice.

Your right to appeal

You have the right to appeal to a magistrates court or to a sheriff court if you live in scotland about any decision to withhold or revoke your driving license by the DVLA. In order to make a successful appeal you will need to instruct a solicitor who is familiar with the necessary procedures. An appeal must be made within 6 months of the decision being made by the DVLA.

Discuss the DVLA medical in our forum

How will I know if I need to go for a medical?

The DVLA will write to you and inform you if you need to go for a medical shortly after your court case and subsequent conviction and driving disqualification. They will also write to you 90 days before you driving disqualification is due to end with all necessary information regarding re-applying for your driving license and arranging the medical.

If you do no receive notification by the DVLA which is often the case if you have completed the Drink Driving Rehabilitation Course, simply request a 'D1 Pack - Application for a driving licence for a car, moped or motorcycle' either online from the DVLA or at your local post office.

Once you have received your D1 pack, fill it out as instructed and return it to the DVLA who will then make the necessary arrangements and contact you regarding your medical.

Do I have to pay for the medical?

Yes. The medical itself currently costs £90.93 + VAT. In addition to this, the cost of re-applying for your driving license where you need to go for a medical is currently £90.00.

How long will the medical take?

The medical examination should take approximately thirty minutes or so to complete.

How long will it take to get the results of my medical?

If the DVLA can make a decision based on the information provided including all relevant medical results they aim to make a decision on most cases within 15 working days.

If they need to investigate further and require more information from their medical advisors or your GP then they aim to make a decision on most cases within 90 working days.

This will be in addition to the time it takes for blood samples to be sent for testing and analysis which should take no longer than a week or so.